Boiler-tube cleaner.



J. WIEGHMANN.

BOILER TUBE CLEANER. APPLIUATION FILED 11111.27, 1909. mmnwnn 1116.1, 1910.

Patented Jim. 24, 1911.

- NSN ATTUR/VEYS.

UNITE STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN WIECI-IMANN, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

BOILER-TUBE CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 27, 1909, Serial No. 474,605. Renewed August 1, 1910. Serial No. 574,994.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that- I, JOHN vinci-nuns', a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of N ew York, have invented a new and Improved Iioilerllube Cleaner, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to boiler tube cleaners having a motor for rotating the cleaner head.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved boiler tube cleaner, dcsigned for thoroughly removing the scale or other incrustation on the outer or on the inner surfaceoit' the boiler tube, the cleaner havingl a rotating hammer head for ,use within the tube, to loosen the incrustation by blows in rapid succession.

A practical emlnidimentof the invention is represented in the aecomlmnyingl drawiiigs forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a side elevation of the improvement as applied to the inside of the tube of a boiler, for loosening the incrustation on the outside of the tube, the latter bcing shown in section; Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same, on the line 2--2 of Fig. l.; Fig. 5:3 is a face view of a modified form of hammer head for removing the incrustation on the .inside of a tube; and Fig. `lis a side elevation of the same.

The head of the boiler tube cleaner is eonnected with and actuated by a motor A of any approved construction, preferably, however, of the turbine type, such for instance as shown and described in the application for Letters Patent of the United States, No. 433,696, tiled by me May 1S), 1905-, so that further description of thisl motor is not deemed necessary.

The shaft B of the motor A is connected by a universal joint C with one end of the hammer head shaft I) extending lengthwise within the tube E and carrying a hammer F, preferably in the shape of a star, and mounted loosely and tameentrically on the shaft I), on opposite sides are weights G, secured to the shaft I) by lpins lr or other fastening means, the said weights extending eccentrically of the shaft D, as plainly illustrated in Figs. l. and 2. Now when the tube cleaner is passed into the tube E and the motor A is running, then a rotary motion is given to theishaft I), and by the weights G the shaft is caused to swing outward in the direction of the weights, so that the points of the star-shaped hammer head F come success sively in contact with the inner surface of the tube E, thus delivering blows against the said tube in rapid succession, thereby loosening the scale which may be on the outside of the tube E or on the inside thereof.

It will be understood that by using a hainmer head F with four points, for instance, and running the motor A at the rate oftwo thousand revolutions per minute, it is evident that the hammer head F delivers eight thousand blows to the inside of the tube E per minute, and consequently the scale is readily loosened whether the scale is on the outside or the inside of the tube ll.

their the scale is on the outside of the tube E the concussion tends to loosen the scale, and when the scale is on the inside of the tube E use is preferably made of a hammer head F such as shown in Figs. 3 and l, and having preferably more points, say six or eight, each point being beveled to form a cutting edge, as indicated in said Figs. 3 and et. Thus the hammer head shown in Figs. 3 and a not only delivers blows but also cuts into the. scale, to insure quick loosening and removal thereof, it'. heilig uiulerstotnl that'. the scale is washed out of the tube ll by the water discharged from the turbine motor 'lhe boiler tube cleaner shown and described is very simple and durable in con struction, coin-jmsed of comparatively few parts, and not liable easily to get out of order.

I'Iaving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In a rotary tube cleaner, the combination with a driving shaft, and cleaner head, of a universal coupling uniting` said shaft and head, said head being weighted on one side of its axis, substantially as described.

2. A boiler tube cleaner comprising a motor, a` shaft having a universal joint connection with the said motor, a hammer head secured concentrically on the said shaft, and a weight secured eccentricall y on the shaft.

3. A boiler tube cleaner comprising a Inotor, a shaft having a universal joint connection with the said motor, a star-shaped hammer head mounted loosely and concentrically on the said shaft, and a ,weight secured tixedl'y and eccentrically on the said shaft.

Patented Jan.- 24, 1911.

4. A boiler tube cleaner comprising a mol In testimony whereof I have signed my tor, a shaft havmg a umversalgomt oonneoname to dus speelfcatlon 1n the presence of tlonwlth the sald motor, a stat-shaped hamtwo subsol'lblng Wltnesses.

mer head secu-red conoe'ntrcally-on the'sad JOHN VIECHMANN. 5 shaft,I and Weights secured eccentrcally on Witnesses:

the said shaft, and on the opposite faces JOHN A. MCGINTY,

of the said hammer head. JOHN H. KOREMAN. 

